Lead-Contaminated Soil Remediation in Falmouth, MA

The Town of Falmouth retained Tata & Howard to remediate lead-contaminated soil associated with historical firing range activities at a former gravel pit owned by the Town. Due to the gravel pit’s location within a current drinking water source area, the objective of the remediation was to restore the release to background and remove the potential threat to the underlying groundwater quality. In addition, the presence of estimated habitats of rare wildlife and priority habitats of rare species at the gravel pit required the filing of a Notice of Intent (NOI) with the Conservation Commission and implementing measures to protect the rare wildlife and species. Tata & Howard prepared a site-specific scope of work for bidding purposes and managed all the field activities. Part of the remedial action plan was to screen the soil in an effort to remove the lead bullets and facilitate disposal of the contaminated soil at a Massachusetts lined landfill. Analytical testing of the soil revealed that some areas contained leachable lead, which required stabilization with Portland cement prior to being transported to the landfill. During the excavation activities, Tata & Howard utilized a field portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer to obtain real-time concentrations of lead in soil. Use of the XRF minimized contractor down time because decisions relative to the extent of excavation required could be made in the field. Confirmatory laboratory analytical results correlated well with the XRF data. Tata & Howard prepared a Permanent Solution with No Conditions Statement, which documents that a condition of No Significant Risk has been achieved at the Site and that the release conditions have been restored to background.